Location
Saré Sara and Ndorna, Bagadaji, Dabo, Kolda, Senegal
Community Description
Saré Sara is a small Pular village along the road in the southern Senegalese region of Kolda, about twenty kilometers outside of Kolda, the regional capital. Spread across its sixty-one compounds is a population of approximately 450 people. Of that, 22% are adult men, 21% are adult women, and the remainder are children.
The village is home to four boutiques of various sizes and a weekly market. The majority of villagers earn their living through sustenance farming. Chief agricultural outputs are peanuts, corn, and cotton. There are smaller production levels of other crops, mostly millet and beans.
Like Sare Sara, Ndorna is a small Pular village in the Kolda region of Senegal. It lies about a kilometer away across a small river. It has about 150 inhabitants spread out over 13 compounds with, one boutique, and approximately the same age and gender demographics as Sare Sara. Agricultural outputs are the same as those grown in its larger sister village.
Most water in the villages is obtained from wells located in a little over a third of the family compounds.
Within the villages, diarrheal diseases are a major problem, particularly among vulnerable populations and during the rainy months of the year.
In both villages, the wells are mostly simple, hand-dug, unlined pits. As the water table during the driest part of the year is almost never deeper than twenty meters, this is the simplest method of obtaining water. However, such shallow wells are prone to collapse and contamination by surface runoff.
A prior project, the Saré
Sara Well Improvement Project – Senegal was recently completed under the direction of Peace Corps Volunteer Martin Davis.
As in the prior project, there are two main types wells present in the villages, those with a rudimentary cement wellhead, and those with an improvised ring of logs or a tire to protect the opening.
In addition, there are now eleven improved wellheads that have a solid foundation, protective wall, and well cover to prevent contamination and accidents, which were constructed in the first project.
Project Description
This project is to improve 6 bare holes and upgrade 9 foundations in the two communities. This will bring all of the remaining wells in Sare Sara up to a minimum level of safety and sanitation. In addition, the work is being expanded into the small sister village of Ndorna.
At completion, all wells in both of these villages will have a concrete foundation, wall, cap, and cover, and the sanitization program using bleach will continue.
Although the planned work will cost in excess of the $500 allocated, the villagers have agreed to raise the remainder of the funds. This commitment is due to the impressive results of the earlier project.
Project funds will be used to purchase cement, wooden doors with hinges, sand, gravel, rocks, and other materials, as well as some labor.
Project Impact
The 450 residents of Sare Sara as well as the 150 residents of Ndorna will benefit from this project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Martin Davis
Comments
As much of the disease in the villages results from contamination of the water source, wellhead improvement can play a big part in the amelioration of these health conditions.
This type of project is extremely cost-effective as a part of an overall strategy to develop and maintain adequate water resources in the community.
The project follows on the heels of a successful project and takes advantage of the momentum that has been developed in the community.
Dollar Amount of Project
$500.00
Donations Collected to Date
$500.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has now been fully funded through the generosity of The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Martin of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by the PCV and/or other projects in the country of service.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.